Meet Valentine and Elizabetha. They were both born in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. They first met in the Jewish Agency Sunday School and then they both moved to Israel. They reconnected on Facebook. Five years ago, they started to chat nearly every day, and then they decided to meet. They have been inseparable since. Valentine is currently working as an electrical-engineer at Intel and Elizabetha is in an academic preparatory course at the Technion in Haifa. They are members of Shirat Ha-Yam congregation in Haifa. Valentine and Elizabetha cannot get married in Israel because Elizabetha is a Reform convert and not [...]

Divorcing the Diaspora: How Netanyahu Is Finally Writing Off U.S. Jews From Haaretz by Judy Maltz 08.11.2017 The Israeli government's decision to suspend the Western Wall compromise is part of the growing evidence, observers say, that something fundamental has changed in the relationship Until not long ago, Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky was the go-to guy for anyone seeking assurance that Israel did, indeed, value its relationship with American Jews. Every time it seemed the "Western Wall deal” – that promise to provide Reform and Conservative Jews with an egalitarian place of their own for prayer at the Jewish holy [...]

This article was originally published by the Australian online site, Plus61j.net.au. WHEN AUSTRALIAN JEWS meet the incoming Israeli ambassador, the first question to ask him should be about the future of religious pluralism in Israel, ahead of Iran and negotiations with the Palestinians, according to Rabbi Gilad Kariv, executive director of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism. “Whenever there is a challenging headline about the Kotel, ring the Israeli embassy in Canberra. You may think ‘who cares?’, but trust me, when you call them, shouting at them, they will report this interaction back to Jerusalem,” Rabbi Kariv added in [...]

When you hear the word "wedding" the first image that comes to mind is usually that of a young couple in love setting off to build a life together. In Israel, the couple and their families join under the huppah, with an Orthodox rabbi (often a stranger) officiating. They perform a ceremony of purchase of the bride. The woman does not get to say a word, give her partner a ring, or take an equal part in the ceremony. In Israel, this is the only legal way for a Jew to marry - through the ultra-Orthodox Rabbinate. What if [...]